


Flowers in the window

by BaneKicksDavid



Category: Snow Man (Japan Band)
Genre: #DatesHardLife, Bouquets, Cute fluffy feels, Gifts, M/M, Sakuma Birthday Fic, Sakuma as a flower shop employee, Sakuma is forever clueless, flower shop au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-05
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2020-06-09 22:25:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19485250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BaneKicksDavid/pseuds/BaneKicksDavid
Summary: A sea of white and yellow. Anemones, yellow and white camellias, yellow tulips, and, at the center of it all, a single sunflower. No matter how often he received flowers as a gift, there was always a sunflower at the center of it all, like a constant in his life he never wanted to give up.





	Flowers in the window

**Author's Note:**

> This was written as a collaboration between myself and Gita for Sakuma's 27th birthday. Gita had the idea of doing something centered around the themes of "gifts" and "showering Sakuma with love" and, together, we concocted the story for this fic.
> 
> I'm glad that she asked me to do this because I got to create a beautiful fic for Sakuma's birthday, and I hope you guys enjoy reading it.   
> Happy birthday Sakuma <3

The distant hum of the air conditioner was the only thing that occupied the little shop, the occasional breeze flowing in from the wide open doors, jostling leaves and flower petals, creating a soft sound that complimented the ease in which time stood still. Occasionally, bits and pieces of conversations flowed into the shop. Men’s and women’s voices joining together before drifting away with the wind. 

Soft footsteps grew louder until Sakuma perked up from his seat, trying to increase his height as much as possible to see over the towering displays, thinking another customer had finally come into the little flower shop. He had been alone all morning, him and his thoughts, except for one person that had walked through the door. After that, he had the flowers to distract him.

“Another bouquet? Someone is in love.”

Some might have been offended by his coworker’s words, taking them to be sarcastic, perhaps even jealous of the bountiful gifts Sakuma had received over the last couple of weeks, but Sakuma knew Date. Knew him to be quiet, thoughtful, the type of person that only spoke when there was something to add to the conversation. It piqued Sakuma’s interest.

“What do you mean?” he asked, swiveling on the stool he was perched upon, knees tucked ever so carefully under him, body laid all but across the counter. He had been told numerous times not to sit like this, elbows propped on the counter and head in his hands, but it was oddly comfortable.

Date shrugged before dipping behind the counter, finding his apron. “You wouldn’t believe me if I tried.”

“Try me,” Sakuma said, putting on his best big boy intimidation face, but, from Date’s expression, it was neither effective nor scary.

“Your flowers look nice,” Date said, tying his apron ever so gracefully behind his back. Sakuma was never quite sure how Date managed the perfect bow each time, and he spent many a solo shift imagining Date practicing in a mirror at home. 

“Yeah!” The bouquet drawing his attention once more. A sea of white and yellow. Anemones, yellow and white camellias, yellow tulips, and, at the center of it all, a single sunflower. No matter how often he received flowers as a gift, there was always a sunflower at the center of it all, like a constant in his life he never wanted to give up. 

“Sincere, longing, waiting. A passionate love, but one sided.”

Sakuma just nodded along, a smile tugging at his lips remembering the person that had dropped the flowers off, Date’s words passing through his ears as if he was never meant to pay attention to them. He had thought that he would never want flowers as a gift, being around them too much, but he had discovered he didn’t mind them.

Iwamoto Hikaru was sweet, far sweeter than one would think by just looking at him. The first time Sakuma had laid eyes upon the other man was when he was tending to the flowers along the outside of the store, watering them so their soil wouldn’t dry. He had felt so small as Hikaru had run by, tank top swishing around his hips, arms pumping to propel him forward. He had looked like the type of person that would spend all afternoon in the gym, talking about protein powder and the correct way to do a squat without tearing muscles…for fun. 

Not that Sakuma didn’t like working out. His overall health was important. He merely believed the two of them wouldn’t click, and that was the end of that.

Or so he had thought.

Footsteps had drawn Sakuma’s attention, excitement that a customer had walked through the door. He put on his biggest smile, loudly shouting, “Welcome!” to whomever had entered the shop.

“Ah…cute.”

A low voice, a man, and Sakuma’s eyes snapped open to where the voice had come from, the runner from the previous day standing there. Sakuma cocked his head to the side. Cute?

“The flowers!” the man had been quick to clarify, a red blush already spreading across his cheeks. “They’re really cute. I’ve always run by here on my afternoon run, but I’ve never stepped inside.” He pointed out one of the large sunflowers behind Sakuma. “Those are my favorite…I think. They’re bright and beautiful.” 

“Oh,” Sakuma said, looking at the little display. “I like them too. They really stand out compared to all of the smaller blossoms we have.”

There were a few other awkward words they had exchanged before the other man had left, introducing himself by name. But the next morning, as Sakuma came to open the store, there was a small bouquet hanging on the doorknob to the shop. He didn’t need to read the note to know the small bundle of sunflowers was from Hikaru.

It wasn’t every day, perhaps once a week, that Hikaru stopped by while Sakuma was working. They would talk about their day, their interests, anything that caught their fancy during those small pockets of time they spent together. Work became more interesting then. Not knowing when Hikaru would duck into the flower shop, those familiar steps signaling it was him and not a normal customer looking to buy a bouquet of flowers for someone special in their lives. 

A few times Sakuma had noticed Hikaru coming out of the shop as he was going to work, wanting to call out to him, to say hello, but he was too far away or didn’t hear Sakuma’s words. He didn’t think much of it. Hikaru had probably gone in to see if Sakuma was working and promptly left when he had discovered Date behind the counter.

It wasn’t every time, but many times Hikaru came to visit he came bearing beautiful bouquets. Heaps of forget-me-nots, gardenias, spider lilies, and red poppies. Once Hikaru brought him a few roses, a beautiful dark red that was the same as Hikaru’s cheeks, and Sakuma accepted them with a smile. But no matter the color of the bouquet, nor the size, there was always once flower that tied all of the gifts together.

“You always give me a sunflower,” Sakuma had said, plucking the single yellow flower from the bundle of roses he had received. “I’m curious as to why.”

Hikaru had looked quite taken aback, jaw dropping a few times before he promptly snapped it shut and stammered an answer. “It’s because…wait you don’t know?” Sakuma shook his head. “It’s because they’re really radiant…just like you.”

The comment had stuck with him the rest of the day, the rest of the week, and the thought of Hikaru saying it was enough for his face to feel quite toasty warm.

“Sakuma, how do you feel about Hikaru?”

It was the first time Sakuma tore his eyes away from the latest gift, the yellow and white the only thing he wanted to look at. “What? I mean…he’s a nice guy?”

“Yes, he is. I’ve talked with him before.” Date was flipping through a book Sakuma had seen tucked in the shelves of the shop but had never touched before. “Many times, actually. I’ve taught him a few things about hanakotoba he found quite interesting, and I want to check the meanings with you to see if you’ve understood the messages.”

“What’s hanakotoba?”

Date stopped. Everything he was doing. He stopped, eyes laser focused on Sakuma as if he was trying to find every wrinkle or imperfection upon Sakuma’s face. “You…work at a flower shop…and you’ve never heard of hanakotoba before?”

Sakuma shook his head. “Never.”

“Then how do you pick flowers for customers?”

“I pick the ones that look pretty and string together a bouquet that looks nice,” Sakuma said.

Date was speechless. Not the in way he usually was in the shop, preferring to speak when he had something important to say. No. This was far different from the other times Sakuma had encountered one of his quiet moods. But at that moment, footsteps were heard entering the shop, and, after careful consideration, Date handed him the book he was holding.

“You should read something other than manga from time to time,” Date said before heading over to help the poor confused businessman that had wandered in.

Sakuma looked down at the book then back to Date’s retreating form. He knew better than to disturb him when there was a customer in the shop, but Sakuma had questions and no one to give him answers. He wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box and needed help stringing along mysteries from time to time.

The weight of the book was quite heavy in his hands, it drawing his attention once more. The open page detailing information about a few flowers, pictures included, telling the reader information about how to care for them, the best soil and climate they grew in, and included, just underneath the name of each flower, was the hanakotoba. 

_Anemone (white)  
_ _Sincere_

Something sparked inside of Sakuma’s head, a bright light, mind remembering Date’s words as if they had been clear as day. 

Sincere, longing, waiting. A passionate love, but one sided. 

Flowers had meanings? Flowers had meanings! Of course! Hanakotoba was the language of the flowers it seemed. It explained why Date had become flabbergasted at Sakuma’s lack of knowledge on the subject for this seemed like something a flower shop employee would know when stringing together a beautiful, “I love you” bouquet for a loved one instead of focusing on a color story as he once had…ah, now he wondered how many times his bouquets had meant, “fuck you” instead of the tender love their partners requested. For there were many flowers in the book, upon scanning it, that had negative meanings that Sakuma quite loved by looks. 

He checked the flowers one by one, remembering each that had been included in Hikaru’s gifts to him. Sweet, true love, secret love, fun loving, in love, sincere, longing, waiting, one sided love; all of the flowers, all of their meanings included in the book, all of them carefully picked out to convey a message that Sakuma hadn’t understood. 

The last had been the most powerful message, the one that had been included in each and every gift and the one that had brought them together.

_Sunflower  
_ _Respect, passionate love, radiance_

“Date,” he called out, book closed and placed on the counter beside him. “Is it alright if I take my break right now? I need to check on something.”

He didn’t hear Date’s next words, already gone, running down the street in the direction he had always seen Hikaru run. He didn’t even know if he would find him. All that mattered was that he tried to find him, to say something, apologize, anything. Something would come to him whenever he saw him.

Perhaps it was dumb luck, others might call it fate, he found Hikaru walking down the street, a single sunflower surrounded in a sea of sweet peas in his hands. 

“Hikaru!” Sakuma called out, coming to a sudden stop beside the other man. Chest heaving, breath escaping him, he let out the words his heart had wanted to say for so long. “I really like you too, so just,” he glanced down at the flowers Hikaru was holding, “Wait, goodbye? Why are you saying goodbye when I just got your message? Don’t….don’t say goodbye…please.”

“Wait you…understand what my gifts meant?” Hikaru asked.

“No,” Sakuma said, his answer coming out far more blunt than he intended, breath still returning to his lungs. “I just…learned today. I actually only know sweet peas mean goodbye because I happened to see it in the book.” He let out a weak laugh. “I’m sorry I didn’t understand before, but I do now. I…I don’t want to let you go. Not at all. So just…please don’t go.” 

He couldn’t bear to look at Hikaru, to see how he was thinking, considering Sakuma’s declaration, but the sound of flowers hitting the sidewalk, warm arms wrapping around him, pulling the two of them together, was all the answer Sakuma needed. 

“I could never let you go,” Hikaru whispered, words warm in Sakuma’s ears, “my radiant sunflower.” 

Sakuma had never felt so warm.


End file.
